Fixing one of fashion’s fossil-fueled secrets

Textile production as a whole generates as much as 8% of global carbon emissions, according to the United Nations — more than shipping and aviation combined

DyeCoo Textile Systems colours clothes using carbon dioxide

At a factory in Vietnam, workers load rolls of undyed polyester into a steel container connected to a storage tank that holds carbon dioxide. When pressure in the container is turned up, the CO2 takes on the properties of both gas and liquid, and in turn develops a superpower: the ability to dissolve dye. The factory, which uses technology supplied by Dutch startup DyeCoo Textile Systems, is colouring clothes by carbon dioxide.

DyeCoo says its process for getting colourants onto fabric doesn’t use any water or bonding chemicals — water is still needed for rinsing, though — and can halve a factory’s typical water use and emissions from textile dyeing. (About 95% of the CO2 can also be recycled between jobs.) Since 2010, the company has been working with garment makers in Taiwan, the Netherlands and Southeast Asia, and its backers include Nike Inc.’s venture arm and Ikea.